Saving Seafood

Scallops: NEFMC Receives 2018 Survey Overview; Framework 30 Progress Report

October 5, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its late-September meeting in Plymouth, MA, the New England Fishery Management Council was presented with positive news about both the status of the Atlantic sea scallop resource and the outlook for the 2019 scallop fishing year. The Council:

  • (1) Reviewed results from the 2018 benchmark stock assessment for scallops;
  • (2) Received a summary of this year’s scallop surveys, which were conducted by five different research groups
  • (3) Reviewed the list of management measures under development in Framework Adjustment 30 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan; and
  • (4) Discussed the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) trip limit.

2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment

The latest stock assessment for Atlantic sea scallops was conducted through the 65th Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee (SAW/SARC). In short, assessment scientists concluded that in 2017:

  • The stock was not overfished and overfishing was not occurring;
  • Spawning stock biomass was at its highest level ever in the 1975 to 2017 time series;
  • Spawning stock biomass was (1) well above its “threshold” level, which is the lowest point allowed before the stock is deemed to be overfished, and (2) well above its biomass “target” level, which is the more desirable stock condition;

Read the full release here

NEFMC SSC – Listen Live – Wednesday, October 10, 2018, Scallop and Herring Issues

October 3, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 to discuss scallop and herring issues.  The public is invited to attend in person or listen live via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  Hilton Garden Inn, Boston Logan Airport, 100 Boardman Street, Boston, MA.  Hotel information is available here.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting will be available at Listen Live. There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (631) 992-3221. The access code is 285-275-351.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The SSC will:

  • Review the results of the recent Atlantic sea scallop benchmark stock assessment and information provided by the Council’s Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT);
  • Recommend overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for Atlantic sea scallops for the 2019 and 2020 fishing years with 2020 levels serving as defaults;
  • Review results of the recent Atlantic herring benchmark stock assessment and information provided by the Council’s Herring PDT;
  • Recommend 2019-2021 OFLs and ABCs for Atlantic herring using the Council’s proposed Amendment 8 ABC control rule, as well as the assessment and PDT information; and
  • Discuss other business as necessary.

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 5 p.m. on Friday, October 5, 2018.  Address comments to Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn or Executive Director Tom Nies and email them to comments@nefmc.org.  The address for mailing comments via the U.S. Postal Service is:  New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill #2, Newburyport, MA  01950.

MATERIALS:  Meeting materials will be posted on the Council’s website at SSC October 10, 2018 documents.

QUESTIONS:  Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 106, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

New model looks at ocean acidification and sea scallop population drop

September 28, 2018 — Scientists at the University of Virginia and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have created a new model looking at ocean acidification.

According to a release, fishermen harvest more than $500 million worth of Atlantic sea scallops each year off the East Coast, but this model predicts those fisheries may be in danger.

It says, as the levels of carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere, the oceans become increasingly acidic, which could reduce the sea scallop population by more than 50 percent in the next 100 years, as a worst-case scenario.

The researchers say strong fisheries management and efforts to reduce CO2 emissions might slow or potentially even stop the trend.

“Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels pose a threat to many types of marine life, particularly shellfish,” said Scott Doney, an environmental sciences professor at UVA. “The ocean removes about a quarter of the carbon dioxide humans release to the atmosphere each year from fossil fuel use and deforestation. The resulting acidification of seawater makes it more difficult for shellfish like scallops and clams to build and maintain their shells.”

There are currently no studies that have been published showing the specific effects of ocean acidification on the Atlantic sea scallop, so to estimate the impact, Doney and his colleagues used a range of effects based on studies of related species.

The release says the new models lets scientists explore how plausible impacts of ocean acidification may change the future of the scallop population.

The researchers tested four different levels of impact on each of four different factors in the model, creating 256 different scenario combinations.

Read the full story at WCAV

Mainers look to farms to boost scallops, a wild staple

August 27, 2018 — Scallops are among the most valuable and beloved seafood items in the U.S., and a group of Maine firms thinks farming them might be a way of keeping up with increasing demand.

The Atlantic sea scallop is a New England mainstay, but unlike oysters and mussels, they’re almost exclusively harvested from the wild on the East Coast. A loose consortium of aquaculture businesses off the Maine coast is looking to change that by making scallop farming a viable option here. It’s one of the first serious attempts to farm Atlantic sea scallops in the United States.

One of the groups, Bangs Island Mussels of Portland, is using the largest amount of Japanese scallop farming equipment ever used by an American scallop farm. The Japanese have farmed scallops for decades, and Bangs Island hopes to learn from their example, said Matthew Moretti, the company’s co-owner.

Bangs Island began growing scallops at its farm in Casco Bay three years ago, and could have a few thousand scallops to market as soon as this fall, Moretti said. Maine scallops sometimes sell for $25 per pound, but the fishery only takes place in the winter, and farming represents a chance to bring the product to customers year round, he said.

“Scallops are higher value, and there’s a traditional fishery here,” he said. “It would be great to expand it.”

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Sioux City Journal

Atlantic Sea Scallop RSA Competition Underway; 2019-2020 Proposals Due by October 1, 2018

August 6, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The federal competition for 2019-2020 Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Awards is now open.

The deadline for submitting full proposals is 5 p.m., Monday, October 1, 2018.

The New England Fishery Management Council sets research priorities for this industry-funded program, while NOAA Fisheries, through the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

During its June meeting in Portland, ME, the Council approved two categories of priorities for this latest RSA cycle. These include: (1) “high” priorities, which are ranked; and (2) “general research areas,” which are not ranked in any order of preference.

Each year during the specification-setting process, the Council “sets aside” 1.25 million pounds scallops to carry out the program. Awards are made in pounds, not dollars, and no federal funding is provided. Instead, proceeds generated from the sale of set-aside scallops are used to fund research activities and compensate participating vessels.

The New England Council established the Scallop RSA Program to address research questions that support management of the scallop resource. The work is conducted collaboratively between fishermen and scientists. Research results directly contribute to stock assessments and help the Council better manage the fishery overall.

Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn called the RSA program “one of the flagships of the scallop fishery.”

Read the full release here

American Scallop Association Delivers Letter to Wilbur Ross, Participates in NOAA Fish Fry

June 11, 2018 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the American Scallop Association:

American Scallop Association (ASA) leadership traveled to Washington last Wednesday to participate in the 43rd Annual NOAA Fish Fry. In Washington, they hand-delivered a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross regarding current issues facing the American scallop industry.

“This is the fourth year that we have participated in the NOAA Fish Fry,” said ASA General Counsel, Attorney John Whiteside. “Attending the NOAA Fish Fry gives us the opportunity to interact with policy-level decision makers on the domestic and global issues that affect us most.”

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross visits the ASA tent at the NOAA Fish Fry.

In the letter, they outline several issues currently affecting the domestic, U.S. wild-caught, Atlantic sea scallop industry, including a request to restart the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations due to international price undercutting issues.

Specifically, as a result of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Canadian scallop industry now operates at an 8 percent advantage over its American counterpart. The agreement gives Canadian-based companies an unfair advantage in their exports to the European Union, making U.S. prices uncompetitive.

“The ASA had a discussion focused on international trade with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross about how CETA-rigged prices are causing irreparable harm to US companies trying to export lobster and scallops to the EU,” said Attorney Whiteside. The ASA urged the Secretary to resume the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations as soon as possible and be steadfast in demanding that tariff rates for fishery products like scallops and lobster mirror those set in the CETA treaty.”

ASA General Counsel, John Whiteside, delivers letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

ASA members buy and sell over 75 percent of U.S. Atlantic sea scallops landed annually and are leaders in the domestic and international sea scallop trade. Headquartered along the Eastern Seaboard, members employ over 4,000 people throughout their domestic and international operations.

The NOAA Fish Fry gives industry representatives the opportunity to draw awareness to issues facing fisheries across the cuntry while bringing industry stakeholders and top government officials together under one roof. This year, ASA members were visited by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and President Trump’s nominee to head NOAA, Barry Myers. ASA members are NOAA Fish Fry regulars, and have represented the scallop industry for years at the event. ASA members that attended the event include: John F. Whiteside, Jr., Ross Paasche, Joseph Furtado, Paul Joly, Master Chef George Karousos, Barbara Cournoyer, Brittany Bushee, and Steve Zevitas.

ASA General Counsel, John Whiteside, meets with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Read the letter to Secretary Ross here

About the American Scallop Association

The ASA was founded in 1992 to foster a better public understanding of the importance of the scallop industry and to represent and promote the interests of the domestic, U.S. wild-caught, Atlantic sea scallop industry. Its aim is to support ASA members and all other affiliated interests to ensure a viable and long-term future for the Atlantic sea scallop fishery through effective dialogue, consultation, collaboration and partnerships.

Scallop RSA Program: NEFMC and NOAA Announce 15 Awards Selected for 2018-2019 funding

May 16, 2018 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

 

The New England Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) are pleased to announce that 15 projects have been selected for 2018-2019 funding through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program.

“The Scallop RSA Program truly has become one of the flagships of the scallop fishery,” said New England Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn. “The collaborative efforts that take place at sea between fishermen and researchers go a long way toward enhancing our understanding of what’s happening with the resource. The results of this RSA work funnel back to the Council and support stock assessments. Without a doubt, the RSA program helps us better manage our – Virginia Institute of Marine Science photo extremely valuable scallop fishery.”

Projects will address research priorities established by the Council, with a particular focus on resource surveys. The awards are expected to generate more than $12 million: $3 million to fund research; and $9 million to compensate industry partners who harvest set-aside quota

“We are excited to be able to work with the New England Fishery Management Council, industry, and scientists to fund sea scallop science through the Research Set-Aside Program,” said NEFSC Science and Research Director Dr. Jon Hare. “The projects funded support surveys, bycatch mitigation, and biological studies, all with the purpose of improving the information used in the management of the sea scallop resource.”

The New England Council established the Sea Scallop RSA Program to address research questions that support management of the scallop resource. The Council sets the research priorities and researchers compete for funding through a federal grant competition managed by NOAA Fisheries.

No federal funds are provided to support the research. Instead, projects are awarded pounds of scallops, which have been “set aside” from the annual fishery quota for this purpose. Successful applicants partner with the fishing industry to harvest their set-aside award to generate funds for the research. There are active research set-aside programs for Atlantic sea scallops, Atlantic herring, and monkfish.

2018-2019 Scallop RSA Award Summary

The awards fall into three categories: scallop surveys (dredge, drop camera, and HabCam); bycatch mitigation; and sea scallop biology.

Scallop Surveys

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) received new awards to conduct dredge surveys in Closed Area I, Closed Area II, and the Nantucket Lightship. Under an existing award from last year, VIMS also will conduct a dredge survey of the Mid-Atlantic Bight. As part of ongoing efforts to better understand scallop survey dredge performance, VIMS investigators received an award to evaluate the hydrodynamic characteristics of both lined and unlined survey dredges in the largest flume tank in the world, located in St. John’s, Newfoundland at Memorial University’s Marine Institute.

The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) received three awards to conduct surveys using a drop-camera array. Through these awards, researchers plan to conduct high-resolution surveys of the Nantucket Lightship, Closed Area I, Great South Channel, and select portions of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will conduct Habitat Camera Mapping System (HabCam) optical surveys throughout the Mid-Atlantic Bight and on the northern flank of Georges Bank. In addition to these surveys, researchers will continue to evaluate dredge effects on habitat and habitat recovery in the Closed Area II Habitat Area of Particular Concern. Coonamessett Farm Foundation will conduct a HabCam survey of the Nantucket Lightship and Southern Flank of Georges Bank.

Bycatch Mitigation

Coonamessett Farm Foundation will continue its seasonal survey on Georges Bank, collecting information on bycatch rates for yellowtail flounder and other species relative to scallop meat yield. These data also will be used to evaluate sea scallop health and meat quality, biological questions about several flounder species, and to examine lobsters for shell disease.

Coonamessett Farm Foundation will continue its loggerhead sea turtle tagging program, receiving funds to tag up to 20 loggerheads with water activated tags. Tag data will be used to evaluate spatial and temporal overlap between loggerhead sea turtles and the scallop fishery.

Coonamessett Farm Foundation also will be testing a dredge twine-top cover net in an attempt to quantify dredge selectivity characteristics.

Sea Scallop Biology

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science will investigate sea scallop density-dependence factors that may be affecting growth, mortality, and reproduction of scallops in the Nantucket Lightship and Elephant Trunk areas. In addition, VIMS will conduct a pilot study to extend the current stock assessment model to better account for sea scallop ages with a particular focus on the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Nantucket Lightship areas.

WHOI will receive support to determine if a gonadosomatic index (GSI) can be calculated from Light Field 3D images of shucked scallops collected during fishing operations. The GSI is used to assess maturity and spawning events in many species of fish and shellfish, including scallops. If successful, this could improve the ability to collect and quantify scallop maturation and spawning data during the course of routine fishery sampling procedures.

The 2018-2019 award listings can be found on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center website at: https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/coopresearch/news/scallop-rsa-2018-2019/.

RSA award announcements and answers to “frequently asked questions” also are available at https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/coopresearch/rsa_program.html.

Visit the New England Council’s scallop webpage: https://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/scallops.

View the release in its entirety here.

 

Grant awarded to investigate Japanese “ear-hanging” scallop production in Maine

May 11, 2018 — The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a U.S. nonprofit organization established in the 2014 Farm Bill, has awarded a USD 300,000 (EUR) grant for pioneering new scallop production techniques in the state of Maine.

The grant, announced 23 April, is going to Brunswick, Maine-based Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), which will manage the program. CEI offers business advisory services to small businesses as well as financing and project management.

The purpose of the project is to investigate the economic viability of the Japanese “ear-hanging” scallop production technique in Maine. The grant, which will fund a three-year program, will cover market analysis and hiring a consultant with a background in wild scallops.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

2018 scallop surprise: Despite larger harvest, currency rates could flatten US supply

March 19, 2018 — You heard it right. Despite massive scallop harvests coming in the US and Japan in 2018, it’s very possible that Americans won’t see any kind of a bump in the availability of what many consider their favorite mollusk, suggests Peter Handy, the president and CEO of Bristol Seafoods.

Handy, a well-known seafood market analyst, laid out his bold theory in a presentation just before Seafood Expo North America 2018, in Boston, and in a subsequent interview with Undercurrent News. His 25-year-old Portland, Maine-based company handles 6 million lbs of seafood annually, including a large number of Atlantic deep-sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus).

“Just like you hear [the automobile manufacturer] Ford talk about how the price of metal is going to affect their production costs, seafood is the same way for us,” he said.

Handy doesn’t doubt there will be more scallops worldwide in 2018.

Based on strong surveys and thanks to the decision by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to open up previously closed areas and strong surveys off the coast of New England,  US scallop harvesters are looking forward to their largest harvest in 14 years – 27,216 metric tons – when their season starts April 1.

The harvest represents the continuation of a trend that Handy credits US conservation policy for. Scallop landings are up 300% since 1995, he noted.

Simultaneously, Japan is predicted to see a major boost in production of Pacific sea scallops (Patinopecten yessoensis) as beds off the coast of Hokkaido in the Sea of Okhotsk recover from weather disasters. As Undercurrent reported earlier, the area is looking at increasing its harvest from the 205,000t of scallops landed in 2017 to 260,000t in 2018.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

NEFMC: Council Update – March 19, 2018 – Scallops, Herring, Groundfish, more

March 19, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

ATLANTIC SEA SCALLOPS:  The 2018 scallop fishing year will begin on April 1.

  • The New England Fishery Management Council developed Framework Adjustment 29 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which contains 2018 fishery specifications and other measures. Visit “Related News” and “Framework 29” on the Council’s Scallop Webpage. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) currently is reviewing the framework for approval and implementation.
  • Northern Gulf of Maine measures are expected to be in place by April 1. The proposed rule is available at NGOM Framework 29 measures. NMFS will publish the final rule soon.
  • The remainder of Framework 29 will not be in place by April 1. Therefore, the 2018 scallop default measures implemented through Framework Adjustment 28will kick in. NMFS’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) published a side-by-side comparison of the measures at Defaults vs. Framework 29 Guide.
  • On March 15, NMFS published the proposed rule containing the remainder of the Framework 29 measures, meaning everything exceptthe NGOM actions. The agency is collecting public comment through March 30. Visit Framework 29 proposed rule for details.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE: In addition to Framework 29, the scallop fleet must wait for the Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2 final rule to be published before being able to access the new Closed Area I and Nantucket Lightship-West Visit the New England Council’s Habitat Webpage and NMFS Approves “Majority” of Council’s Habitat Amendment for more information.
  • The New England Council’s Scallop Advisory Panel (AP) will meet March 21, 2018 in Providence, RI. The Council’s Scallop Committee will meet the following day at the same hotel in Providence. Details and documents are available at Scallop Committee March 22, 2018 meeting.

ATLANTIC HERRING:  Effective March 14, NMFS prohibited Atlantic herring midwater trawl vessels from directed fishing in the Mid-Atlantic/Southern New England Catch Cap Area after projecting that the fishery’s river herring/shad catch cap had been harvested. The herring midwater trawl possession limit is 2,000 pounds in this area for the remainder of the 2018 fishing year, which ends December 31.

  • ATLANTIC HERRING DETAILS: Additional details and a map showing the Mid-Atlantic/Southern New England Catch Cap Closure Area can be found at NMFS herring fishery bulletin.
  • ATLANTIC MACKEREL FISHERY: The Atlantic mackerel fishery, which is managed by the Mid-Atlantic Council, also reached its river herring/shad catch cap. Effective February 27, NMFS prohibited federally permitted mackerel vessels from possessing more than 20,000 pounds of mackerel per trip through December 31. Learn more at NMFS mackerel fishery bulletin.
  • The New England Council’s Herring Committee and Herring AP will meet jointly on April 4 in Boston to, among other things, discuss the implications of the river herring/shad catch cap accountability measures (AMs) being triggered in both the Atlantic herring and Atlantic mackerel fisheries. The Committee and AP also will review a draft white paper considering the addition of river herring and shad as “stocks in the Atlantic herring fishery.” The meeting notice is available at April 4 Herring Committee/AP meeting. Related documents will be posted on this same page as they become available.

GROUNDFISH:  Effective March 1, NMFS extended its previous emergency action to remove the 2017 southern windowpane flounder AMs for non-groundfish trawl vessels. The emergency action will run through April 30, the end of the 2017 fishing year.  Read the notice at emergency action extension. A map of the area is available at bulletin.

  • The New England Council’s Groundfish AP will meet March 26, 2017 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Logan Airport in Boston. The Groundfish Committee will meet the following day at the same location primarily to discuss Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23 and work-to-date on 2018 groundfish priorities.  The meeting notice is available at March 27, 2018 Groundfish Committee Meeting. Related documents also will be available on this page shortly.

GROUNDFISH RECREATIONAL:  At the request of the New England Council, NMFS published a new control date that may be used to determine future participation in the Northeast multispecies charter/party fishery. The new control date is March 19, 2018. This replaces the previous March 30, 2006 control date, which many members of the industry considered to be “stale” and not reflective of current conditions in the fishery. NMFS is collecting public comment on the new date through April 18. The notice is available at March 19, 2018 control date. Learn more about the New England Council’s recent recreational actions at January 31 decision-making.

RED HAKE:  NMFS has notified the New England Council that the Southern Georges Bank/Mid-Atlantic stock of red hake is now subject to overfishing and overfished based on the recent 2017 assessment. As such, the Council will be working to develop measures to end overfishing and rebuild the stock.  Read the Federal Register notice and visit the Council’s Small-Mesh Multispecies Webpage.

DOGFISH, MID-ATLANTIC SPECIES:  Spiny dogfish is jointly managed by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils. The Mid-Atlantic, which has the administrative lead over the Spiny Dogfish FMP, is soliciting applications from qualified individuals to serve on the Dogfish Advisory Panel.

  • The application deadline is April 20, 2018.
  • All current advisory panel members must reapply in order to be considered for reappointment.
  • The Mid-Atlantic Council also is accepting applications for seven other advisory panels, which are the: River Herring and Shad AP; Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass AP; Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish AP; Surfclam and Ocean Quahog AP; Tilefish AP; Bluefish AP; and Ecosystem and Ocean Planning AP.
  • Additional information and an application form are available at serve on an advisory panel.

Learn more about the NEFMC by visiting their site here.